MONTPELIER — Lots of smoke and a little bit of fire shut down a portion of Main Street on Saturday evening as firefighters prevented a small blaze from spreading through a century-old home.

The incident began shortly after 5 p.m. when a passerby alerted homeowner Stan Brinkerhoff that thick smoke was billowing from the first floor of his three-story home at 188 Main St.

Brinkerhoff called Montpelier firefighters, who quickly extinguished a small fire in a first-floor storage area.

A singed mattress and a charred pile of clothing in the front yard were the only visible signs of damage from outside, though Brinkerhoff and two tenants living in an attached apartment made plans to stay elsewhere for the night due to a lingering smell of smoke.

Brinkerhoff said the home is insured.

Lt. Jake Larrabee of the Montpelier Fire Department said the fire was small but hot, and produced heavy smoke. He said the cause is undetermined, and Vermont State Police investigators will examine the scene this morning to try to determine what happened.

A fire crew from Barre City joined Montpelier firefighters at the scene.

Main Street was blocked off between North and Loomis streets for about two hours.